8/24/2021 – When defending difficult positions you often have to decide whether to search active counterplay or to hope for the best with passive defense. Often, this is a difficult choice and even the very best can go wrong. In the diagram position, which is from a game A. Firouzja vs M. Carlsen, Black is in trouble but has a way to draw. What should Black play?

8/23/2021 – Two years after visiting Hamburg to film his middlegame FritzTrainers, Ivan Sokolov visits the ChessBase office once again. The experienced grandmaster discusses instructive endgames with Dr. Karsten Müller in the latest instalment of the Endgame Magic show. | Endgame Magic is on air most Mondays. Watch it on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

8/17/2021 – In the diagram position White is a pawn down and Black's king is threatening to enter White's position. However, White can hope to save a draw if he manages to build a solid fortress. In the diagram position it is White to move - what would you play?

8/16/2021 – Svitlana and Karsten discuss endgames and Svitlana's forthcoming ChessBase products. Svitlana also presents endgames from her own games and solves a study by Karsten. | "Endgame Magic" is on air most Mondays. Watch it on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

8/10/2021 – The duel bishop against knight is often tricky. When defending, the side with the knight often tries to build a fortress to exploit the color blindness of the bishop. In the diagram position Black is two pawns down but built a fortress. However, will it hold? And, if so, how does Black make it last forever?

8/9/2021 – In the "Endgame Magic Show #155" Karsten Mueller talks with Abhimanyu Mishra about the endgame. In the old days people said that one should just go into the endgame against a young player which then would win itself. But Abhimanyu Mishra, the world's youngest Grandmaster ever, proves this to be wrong. He knows a lot about endgames, has watched all 154 previous "Endgame Magic" shows, and stuns Karsten again and again with insights and questions. In the current show the young Grandmaster proves his defensive skills in rook endings, but in some examples Abhimanyu is also attacking, when he is no less resourceful. | "Endgame Magic" is on air most Mondays. Watch it on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

8/3/2021 – In the diagram position both sides have dangerous passed pawns. But it is Black to move and he faces a choice: should he try to stop the white pawns with his king or should he push his g-pawn ahead? What would you do - and why?

8/2/2021 – In the "Endgame Magic Show #154" Karsten Mueller and his guest Arne Kaehler take another look at endgame highlights from the Goldmoney Asian Online Rapid Tournament that ended early July and was won by Levon Aronian. Karsten and Arne were particularly fascinated by a tactically complicated endgame position in which Nihal Sarin missed a win against Anish Giri. | "Endgame Magic" is on air most Mondays. Watch it on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

7/27/2021 – Karsten Mueller again enjoys some Endgame Magic and together with his guest Thomas Stark he presents endgame highlights from the Goldmoney Asian Online Rapid Tournament that ended in the beginning of July, and that was won by Levon Aronian - who showed his endgame skills in a very crucial game.

7/27/2021 – Endgames with opposite coloured bishops have drawish tendencies but are also full of surprising tactics. In the diagram position White is a pawn up but Black's bishop seems to have the pawns on the kingside under control. However, White has a way to make his pawns really powerful. What can he do, how can he win?

7/20/2021 – In the diagram position White is a pawn up but can she win? And how? Should White push her h-pawn to break through with her pawns? Or her f-pawn? Or should White wait and bring the king into a better position?

7/13/2021 – Pawn endings must be calculated precisely and the activity of the king is very important. In the diagram position White has a protected passed pawn on b6 but it is not immediately apparent whether this is enough to win. Do you have an idea how White can overcome Black's defensive set-up?

7/8/2021 – Grandmaster Dr Karsten Müller returns with his "Endgame Magic" show after a break of more than a year. With Episode 151, the endgame puzzles of the past year are once again revealed and solved! Be it that the famous game Fischer - Petrosian from 1971, thanks to Albert Silver and his Fat Fritz, gets the necessary kick, or the game between E. Torre against O. Jakobsen from 1973 is turned upside down by the diligent readers and solvers. There are quite a few groundbreaking surprises to examine.

7/6/2021 – Knights that fight against pawns can be clumsy but sometimes they can also work magic. In the diagram position, Black's a-pawn wants to queen but the white knight can still stop him. On the other hand it is hard to see how Black can stop White's e-pawn from queening. But Black can help her knight to do some magic and win. Do you have an idea how?

6/29/2021 – It was Steinitz who claimed that the king is strong, even in the opening and the middlegame. However, the more enemy pieces on the board, the greater the danger for His Majesty. But in the endgame the king can often show its power. In the diagram position Black is a pawn down but is still able to draw. How?

6/22/2021 – Knights that fight against pawns in the endgame can be versatile or very clumsy. In the diagram position the black knight turned out to be very versatile. How did it help Black to win the game?

6/15/2021 – The diagram position is complicated and extremely sharp. Both sides have dangerous passed pawns which the knights might or might not stop. However, it was Black to move and he had a way to win. But in the game Black failed to find the winning move - can you do better?

6/8/2021 – Connected passed pawns can be powerful, in the middlegame but especially in the endgame. A good reason to stop them sooner rather than later. What should White do in the diagram position to stop Black's pawns from becoming really powerful?

6/1/2021 – In the duel between bishop and knight it is often the knight which is too slow. However, one should not underestimate knights - they are versatile and often surprisingly quick, e.g. in the diagram position. Can the black knight play on both wings to help Black win the game?

5/25/2021 – Simplifying into a pawn ending must always be calculated carefully. In the diagram position Black is a rook up but White has powerful passed pawns. But how and when to advance them?

5/18/2021 – The German word "Zugzwang" describes the phenomenom that the rules of chess force you to make a move when it's your turn even if it would be better to do nothing. In chess, you simply cannot pass. "Zugzwang" is a typical endgame phenomenon that often decides the game. In the diagram position White can use "zugzwang" to force the opponent to self-destruct. How?

5/11/2021 – In the diagram position White just attacked the bishop on f6 which is a prelude to a bishop sacrifice on e7 which will allow the white pawns to run. But with correct play the black bishop can stop the pawns. How?

5/4/2021 – The diagram position looks pretty bad for Black. He has a passed pawn that is close to queening and he is to move but White has the nasty threat of 55.Rd8+ that is hard to parry. But Black's knight can do some magic and save the game. What should Black do?

4/27/2021 – In the diagram position White is two pawns up but has only one winning move. Which one?